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Workshops
Workshops
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Optimizing Portfolio Construction with Alternative Investment Strategies
Incorporating diversified and uncorrelated investment strategies into traditional portfolios can significantly enhance risk-adjusted returns for high-net-worth (HNW) investors. This presentation explores the strategic advantages of integrating alternative investments—particularly hedge funds—to boost diversification without sacrificing upside potential.
We will cover optimal portfolio construction using alternative investment strategies, demonstrating how Registered Investment Advisors can enhance their product offering by incorporating the Aleto Market Neutral Fund into their client’s portfolios.
Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how uncorrelated strategies can complement traditional asset allocations—ultimately supporting stronger, more resilient long-term outcomes for clients.
Workshop Objectives: Demonstrate the role alternative investment strategies play in asset allocation and highlight how Aleto’s Market Neutral strategy can enhance client diversification without compromising returns.
Company Profile: Aleto: Comprehensive Alternative Investment Solutions for RIAs
Aleto is built to empower Registered Investment Advisors with seamless access to institutional-quality alternative investments. Our platform delivers value through three core pillars:
1. Diversified Performance
Enhance performance and reduce risk in client portfolios with Aleto’s Market Neutral FoHF, which is a curated selection of high performing funds with track records of superior risk-adjusted returns.
2. Enhanced Economics
We eliminate fund-of-fund (FoF) fees, offering your clients below-market costs without compromising on quality.
3. Stronger Client Relationships
Our intuitive digital platform simplifies onboarding and reporting, allowing RIAs to focus on what matters most: deepening client relationships.
Speakers
Dave Jordan
Chief Investment Officer
Dave Jordan is the Chief Investment Officer at Aleto, where he leads the firm’s investment strategy and portfolio management of the Aleto Market Neutral Fund. Mr. Jordan brings nearly two decades of investment management experience having managed various multi-strategy, fixed income portfolios. Most recently, Mr. Jordan was the Global Head of Leveraged Finance at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (“SWIB”), where he managed over $10 Billion in assets across high yield bonds and leveraged loans. Prior to SWIB, Mr. Jordan was a Credit Portfolio Manager at Balyasny Asset Management and UBS O'Connor, where he established a proven track record of outperformance in a variety of market conditions. Mr. Jordan holds a BA in Economics from The University of Chicago and a MS in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University.
Representatives
Mike Hanus, CFA
Chief Commercial Officer
Mike Hanus, CFA, is the Chief Commercial Officer of the firm and is responsible for driving growth. Mr. Hanus possesses over 20 years of experience working in the areas of Alternative and Private Investments, holding senior Distribution, Product and Portfolio Management roles at firms such as Wellington Management Company, Fidelity Investments and Absolute Investment Advisors. Mr. Hanus earned his MBA from the Ross Graduate School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is also a CFA charter holder and a Series 3 license holder
Gershie Vann
Founder & CEO
Buffering the Downside: ETFs that manage risk in portfolios and keep clients invested
s inflation and economic uncertainty persists, an increasing number of Americans want financial products that help mitigate market risks. How can investment professionals thrive amidst the ambiguity?
Allianz Investment Management LLC’s suite of risk-managed investment strategies can equip investors’ portfolios with an added layer of risk mitigation during these unpredictable times. The ETFs seek to provide a level of protection against market drops with either a buffer or floor, while allowing investors to participate in the upside potential of the S&P 500® with capped or uncapped options.
AllianzIM explains how these ETFs are designed to perform within client portfolios across a range of market scenarios and their behavior relative to other risk managed, volatility strategies.
Workshop Objectives: Help clients feel more confident amid market volatility and inflation with ETFs that seek to provide a level of protection against market drops with either a buffer or floor from AllianzIM.
Company Profile: Allianz Investment Management LLC (AllianzIM) is a registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsidiary of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. Both are part of the Allianz Group, one of the world’s strongest financial communities in asset management and insurance. Founded over 130 years ago, more than 122 million clients in 70 countries rely on the knowledge, financial strength, and solidity of the Allianz Group.
Driven by nearly a century of growth and the globalization of financial markets, the Allianz Group established the global Allianz Investment Management network in 2007 to steer the investment of premiums generated by Allianz insurance companies worldwide, serving as the bridge between the insurance and capital markets for the Allianz Group.
Speakers
Paul Cahill
National Sales Director | ETFs
As the ETF National Sales Director, Paul Cahill is responsible for working directly with AllianzIM ETFs’ sales team on growing assets within AllianzIM’s suite of outcome-oriented ETFs throughout the advisor community. Paul has more than 27 years of experience in the financial services industry, having previously worked as a Managing Director of National Sales for Virtus Investment Partners, focusing on growing assets across the Independent Broker/Dealer and RIA channels for their lineup of mutual funds, separately managed accounts, and ETF’s. Paul, his wife, Amy and their four children make their home on the shoreline in CT.
Representatives
Courtney Nichols
Director of Projects & Strategic Planning | ETFs
As the Director of Projects & Strategic Planning for ETF Distribution, Courtney Nichols partners with ETF leadership on day-to-day functionality of the business. Courtney works closely with internal and external partners, including sales, product, and other stakeholders to create and enhance processes to further business strategy.Courtney has over 10 years of financial services industry experience, having previously worked in the alternative investment space, working closely with IBD and RIA channels, both on the advisor and firm level.
Courtney & her husband reside in Gilbert, AZ.
Private Equity Evergreen Funds – Key Considerations
Evergreen funds continue to grow in popularity as a means to access private equity. When considering an investment in a private equity evergreen Fund, it is important to consider the fund’s portfolio construction approach and how the fund manager accesses private equity – whether it is through secondary funds, primary funds, co-investments, or a combination thereof. Portfolio construction and asset allocation are critical components to consider when analyzing these types of funds.
We will discuss the trade-offs associated with various portfolio construction approaches and the impact on overall investor returns and risk. Other topics will include the state of private equity today and how the opportunity set has evolved in a rapidly changing macro environment.
Workshop Objectives: Please join us for a discussion on some of the key due diligence items CIO’s should focus on when reviewing the growing list of options in the market.
Company Profile: Founded in 2003 in Denver, Colorado, Bow River Capital was established with a vision of building a world class, diversified investment management platform focused on the lower middle market. Bow River Capital is employee-owned and has six private fund platforms: Private Credit, Private Equity, Defense, Real Estate, and Software Growth Equity and the Bow River Evergreen Strategies, which you can learn more about here - https://www.bowriverevergreen.com/
Speakers
Jeremy Held
Managing Director and Portfolio Manager
Jeremy Held is currently responsible for Bow River Capital’s registered asset management business including investment oversight, research and product development. Prior to joining Bow River Capital, Jeremy was the Director of Research and Chief Investment Officer at ALPS Advisors, a Denver-based asset manager that specializes in registered fund vehicles focused on real assets and alternative investments.
Mr. Held began his career at ALPS in 1996 and helped lead a variety of business initiatives over two decades, including the launch of the firm’s asset management business in 2007. Mr. Held was ultimately responsible for all aspects of the ALPS Advisors business, overseeing 44 registered investment companies and more than $20 billion in assets. Mr. Held is the Chair of the Fund’s Investment Committee.
Representatives
Matt Ryan
Regional Advisor Consultant – RIA & Bank Trust (Southwest Region)
Prior to joining NYL Investments, Matt worked at Lord Abbett & VanEck servicing RIA clients which he’s now done for 15 years. Matt specializes in partnering with financial advisors, chief investment officers, and research analysts to provide tailored solutions that help clients achieve their goals.
Matt graduated from Fairfield University in 2009 with a degree in finance and was a member of the men’s varsity baseball team.
Jose Barros
Managing Director – Head of Strategic Wealth Sales
Previously, Jose held numerous positions within the Distribution team including managing the Global Relationship Management team, Internal Sales team as well as COO of US Retail Distribution. Prior to becoming a manager, he was a Senior Sales Consultant with New York Life & MainStay Investments, where he was responsible for promoting the New York Life suite of products such as Deferred Fixed Annuity, Immediate Annuities, MainStay Mutual Funds/Sub-accounts.
Prior joining New York Life Investments, Jose was a Client Service Representative at the Dreyfus Mutual Fund Corporation where he focused on providing premier service and consultative retirement solutions to proprietary clients.
Jose graduated with a degree in Economics Finance from SUNY Buffalo State University. He holds his Series 6, 7, 24 and 63 registrations, and New York State Life & Health Insurance license.
Harnessing the Power of Custom Indexing
Direct and Custom Indexing is the fastest-growing category in wealth management—and Canvas is leading the way.
Join us for an interactive demo of our end-to-end Custom Indexing platform that makes it easy to build personalized, tax-managed portfolios at scale. Built to help your clients save on taxes—and to give you more time, control, and flexibility—Canvas is the next evolution of Direct Indexing. See firsthand how leading advisors are using Canvas to win new clients, deepen relationships, and drive real growth.
Workshop Objectives: You can expect:
1) To learn the fundamentals of Direct and Custom Indexing
2) See the Canvas platform and our edge in action
3) Discuss client profiles and application
Company Profile: Franklin Templeton is committed to addressing the evolving needs of advisors and their clients, helping them take full advantage of what’s ahead. We understand today's trends are pushing you to streamline your partnerships, and we believe we are qualified to be one of those trusted few.
Here’s what makes us qualified: our platform, a commitment to partnership, and a focus on personalization.
First, is our continuously evolving PLATFORM: very few firms provide the same breadth of capabilities as we do. Access to our robust set of offerings ensures you have access to the latest solutions to deliver better investor outcomes.
With this robust platform, we are able to focus on providing PERSONALIZATION: our solution set is designed for specific outcomes—delivering tax alpha, enhancing operational efficiency, mitigating risk—we ensure unique client goals are easily addressed.
This robust platform and focus on personalization helps to fuel our commitment to PARTNERSHIP: we are dedicated to understanding and solving your needs—working closely with you to co-create the solutions that best serve your business and your clients.
At Franklin Templeton, our platform, our focus on personalization, and our commitment to partnership can help you achieve more for your clients and build a stronger, more resilient business. We want to be your next call and are committed to being your trusted partner for what’s ahead.
Speakers
Laura Foster
Managing Director – Private Wealth Solutions
Laura Foster, CFA, leads relationships with wealth management professionals engaging with the firm’s strategies and its custom indexing platform, Canvas. She brings over 13 years of experience in investment management, with deep expertise in tax-aware portfolio construction and implementation.
A CFA Charterholder, Laura is a board trustee for the CFA Society of Seattle and leads the society’s Women’s Network, advancing opportunities for women in investment management. Laura graduated from the University of Washington in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Representatives
Michael Cochrane
Senior Vice President Head of RIA Field Sales
Michael Cochrane is a Senior Vice President and Head of RIA Field Sales.
Michael is responsible for managing the external RIA Sales Directors
across nine territories.
Michael began his career in the financial services industry in 2005. Prior to
joining Franklin Templeton in 2017, Michael worked at Van Eck for 9 years
and at Fidelity Investments for 3 years before that.
As a trusted business partner, Michael provides valuable perspective in the
areas of practice management, asset allocation and portfolio construction.
He consults with financial professionals to help them deliver better
outcomes for their clients and grow their business. Michael has a wealth of
industry knowledge and a deep understanding of Franklin Templeton
investment solutions including mutual funds, separately managed accounts,
and institutional alternatives.
Michael is a FINRA registered representative and holds the series 3, 7 and 63 licenses. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University.
Michael currently resides outside of San Diego in Poway, CA and enjoys spending time with his two sons.
Michael Wolman
Vice President, Private Wealth Director
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in 2007, Michael had two client facing roles. First as a loan officer for Mortgage Lenders Network then as a representative for McKesson.
As a trusted business partner, Michael brings valuable perspective to investment professionals leveraging the intellectual capital of Franklin Templeton’s portfolio management teams and through leadership groups. He supports financial advisors and their clients in their pursuit to reach their long-term investment goals. Michael is a resource for all investment solutions offered at the firm, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements and portfolio construction.
Michael earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. He holds FINRA series 7 and 63 licenses.
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Delivering Goldman Sachs to RIAs: Accessing Unique, Customized Solutions through Goldman’s Capital Markets Desk
Join the GS team to discuss the institutional services available to you and your firm!
• Structured Notes & Hedging Portfolios: Direct access to customize structures across income alternatives, buffered equity, and 100% principal protection
• GS Select: High tech/high touch digital banking and lending platform for financial advisors
• Fixed Income Trading & Primary Markets: Trade individual bonds with our desk (treasuries, corporates, and municipals)
• Hedging & Monetization: Solutions for concentrated stock positions
• Alternatives: Access to unique third party alternatives
• Hedge Fund Alternatives: Systematic, rules based strategies
• Investment Banking Services: dedicated resource that provides full suite of IB services
• Private Stock Liquidity: For clients with a $20mm+ private holding, we can help find a buyer
• RIA Custody: Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions
Workshop Objectives: Learn how Goldman’s services and products can be customized to meet your market outlook and your clients’ objectives.
Company Profile: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities and investment management services to a substantial and diversified client
base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major financial centers around the world. To learn more, visit www.gs.com.
Speakers
Hudson Cobb
Associate, RIA Capital Markets Solutions
Hudson Cobb is an Associate on the Private Investor Products Group at Goldman Sachs. At Goldman, Hudson focuses on providing RIA’s access to a variety of products within capital markets. His primary focus is structured derivatives, hedging & monetization and systematic trading strategies. He joined Goldman straight from school where he studied finance and banking.
Non-Sponsored Lending & Private Capital Solutions with HPS
Hosted by Chris Hunter, Head of HPS Private Wealth Solutions, the goal of the session is to educate investment professionals on current trends in the private markets and how HPS differentiates our platform - specifically in private credit. Within private credit, we aim to educate investors on capturing different parts of the market including non-sponsored investment opportunities – as well as the HPS process including sourcing, diligence, and structuring of the underlying investments. Investors will learn how the HPS platform and specialization ultimately fits into the broader ecosystem of private credit as well as the private markets allocations of client portfolios.
Workshop Objectives: The sessions are designed to educate investors on the HPS platform and our suite of offerings across direct lending and private capital solutions.
Company Profile: HPS Investment Partners is a leading global investment firm that seeks to provide creative capital solutions and generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our clients. We manage various strategies across the capital structure, including privately negotiated senior debt; privately negotiated junior capital solutions in debt, preferred and equity formats; liquid credit including syndicated leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and high yield bonds; asset-based finance and real estate. The scale and breadth of our platform offers the flexibility to invest in companies large and small, through standard or customized solutions. At our core, we share a common thread of intellectual rigor and discipline that enables us to create value for our clients, who have entrusted us with approximately $148 billion of assets under management as of September 2024.
Speakers
Christopher Hunter
Head of HPS Private Wealth Solutions
Mr. Hunter is a Managing Director and the Head of Private Wealth Solutions at HPS Investment Partners. Prior to joining HPS in 2021, Mr. Hunter was a Vice President in the Alternative Investment Solutions Group at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for managing the firm’s RIA and broker dealer client relationships. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hunter was a Principal at The Blackstone Group, where he was responsible for managing the firm’s wealth management relationships across each of the four business units: private equity, private credit, real estate, and hedge fund solutions. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Hunter was a Regional Director for Hatteras Funds. Mr. Hunter is a CAIA charterholder and holds a BA in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Representatives
Jake Tracy
Executive Director
Mr. Tracy is an Executive Director at HPS Investment Partners. Prior to joining HPS in 2023, Mr. Tracy served as a Director of Business Development at CAIS Group. Prior to CAIS, Mr. Tracy was an Associate at Trust Company of the West. Mr. Tracy holds a BSBA from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.
Polar Capital Emerging Markets Fund
Company Profile: Polar Capital is an experienced, investment-led, active fund manager
The company prides itself on its collegiate and meritocratic culture. Since incorporation in 2001, we have steadily grown our range of autonomous investment teams. The business is structured to allow teams to focus on their portfolios while a best-in-class operational structure works on everything else. Headquartered in London and listed on the UK stock market, Polar Capital has a global presence, including offices in New York, Connecticut and Georgia.
Speakers
Jorry Nøddekær
Lead Portfolio Manager
Jorry joined Polar Capital in June 2018 to set up the Polar Capital emerging markets growth franchise.
Prior to joining Polar Capital, Jorry worked at various firms including Nordea Investment Management, Danske Capital, F&C Investment Management, New Star Asset Management and Bank Invest Asset Management.
Representatives
Alastair Barrie
Managing Director, North America
Alastair joined Polar Capital in June 2019 to lead the company’s business development in North America. He has over 25 years of experience in asset management distribution in both wholesale and institutional markets. For the previous 10 years he worked with Martin Currie and has been based in New York since 2014. Prior to Martin Currie, he had a year as Director of Institutional Distribution at RBS Asset Management and spent the previous 13 years at Henderson Global Investors where he originally worked with the founders of Polar Capital. He started his career in 1992 working for Friends Provident, a UK-based life assurer.
Morgan Lee
Director, Business Development
The 2025 Vintage: An Attractive (re)Entry Point for Real Estate
The painful reset of real estate seems to be in the rear-view mirror, and we expect 2025 to be a good vintage for real estate investment.
We will review how historical performance, current supply and demand drivers, and today’s vacancy levels have a positive impact on the outlook of various sectors.
Nuveen is well positioned to capture this upside as our approach centers on three core beliefs:
1. Sector allocation: Nuveen allocates across core sectors, focusing on dynamic market segments for long-term outperformance.
2. Selecting the right cities: A cities-focused strategy can identify locations best positioned for demographic and structural growth.
3. Execution: Local expertise and ability to execute are critical to portfolio implementation.
Workshop Objective: Educate investors on the status of the real estate market, understanding global and domestic megatrends, and how Nuveen’s strategy leverages local expertise and sector allocation for long-term growth.
Company Profile: Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA, offers a comprehensive range of outcome-focused investment solutions designed to secure the long-term financial goals of institutional and individual investors. Nuveen has $1.2 trillion in assets under management as of 30 June 2024 and operations in 27 countries. Its investment specialists offer deep expertise across a comprehensive range of traditional and alternative investments through a wide array of vehicles and customized strategies.
Speakers
Cindy Chen
Managing Director, Portfolio Management
Cindy is responsible for Nuveen Real Estate's portfolio management of
the Real Property Fund and investments in the Pennsylvania Municipal
Retirement System. She has over a decade of experience in commercial
real estate, primarily focused on U.S. equity investments on behalf of
pension funds and Fortune 500 companies.
Representatives
Russ DiPaola
VP, Advisor Consultant
Russ DiPaola is Nuveen's Vice President and Advisor Consultant for San Diego and Orange County. Currently living in San Diego, Russ focuses on providing local institutional quality investment resources to leading wealth advisors and RIAs. Russ brings a diverse background of investment management experience across traditional and alternative
investment asset classes.
Prior to joining Nuveen in 2020, Russ worked at NTT Data as a M&A
Consultant during the Truist Bank merger for the Investment Banking
and Wealth Management business. He also spent time at Vanguard as
Business Development Associate.
Matthew Cortina
MD, Alternatives Business Development
Matthew Cortina, CAIA is a seasoned alternative investment professional with expertise in Private & Alternative Credit, Real Estate, Infrastructure, and Energy. As Managing Director at Nuveen, he helps financial advisors integrate alternative investment solutions into client portfolios. He has held leadership roles at First Eagle, CION, and SEI. Matthew holds a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College, is a CAIA Charterholder, and a CFA Level III Candidate.
Pursuing Alpha, Cultivating Resilience: Adaptive US Fixed Income Strategies for Challenging Times
Market volatility has been on the rise with credit spreads moving away from their multi-year tights across fixed income asset categories. Large, bloated asset managers either have to rely on crude beta levers or focus on illiquid, high risk investments to generate returns. In this environment, having a broad toolkit while staying highly nimble is the only way to generate meaningful alpha, in our opinion. Policy and economic data uncertainty remain high, but rather than a reason to step back from investing, we see it instead as a call to arms to take advantage of dislocations as they materialize.
Join us as we share our latest thoughts on the asset class, where we see remaining pockets of value across macro, corporate and securitized markets. We will also highlight ways in which our team offers a differentiated approach to investing, combining clear US focus with benefits of operating within a leading global fixed income platform.
Workshop Objective:
- Update on the latest macro views (US & global)
- Opportunities within various sub-asset classes in corporate and securitized fixed income
- Intro to our US fixed income team and ways in which RBC GAM BlueBay team uses proprietary technology to give our investment process an edge across multiple cycles
Company Profile: RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) strives to provide clients an unrivaled experience of investment and service excellence, offering a comprehensive range of solutions and services. We operate as a global firm of specialized investment teams with more than $484 billion* under
management. In addition to broad-based capabilities in equities, liquidity management and alternatives, our BlueBay fixed income platform seeks to embody the best aspects of alternative and traditional fixed income investing. We manage more than $130 billion* across a full spectrum of active fixed income strategies—all of which are designed to generate alpha within a capital preservation context. Our platform spans multiple investment dimensions and leverages our collective skill set to create differentiated portfolios. Through this approach, we seek to meet our clients’ risk/return objectives for a specific asset class while providing additional diversification across their overall portfolio.
Speakers
Neil Sun, CFA
Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc.
Neil is a Portfolio Manager within BlueBay's Investment Grade team and joined the firm in March 2014. Prior to joining BlueBay, Neil worked at BlackRock in their Client Analytics Group, as an associate. Neil graduated Summa Cum Laude from Baruch College with a BA degree in Finance and Investments. Neil is a CFA® charterholder.
Representatives
Kristin Coons, CFA
Director, Intermediary Sales, RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc.
Kristin is director, Intermediary Sales - Western Region at RBC GAM-US. In this role, she is responsible for developing relationships and representing the firm’s investment strategies to various financial intermediaries including RIAs and retirement, wealth management, and family office investment platforms. Prior to joining RBC GAM in 2019, Kristin was the director of capital markets for a peer-to-peer investment platform, where she worked to secure financing and credit lines from institutional and accredited investors to facilitate business growth. In addition, Kristin has held various positions in the investment industry including trading fixed income securities, managing institutional client relationships, and overseeing relationships on institutional mutual fund clients. She joined the investment industry in 1992. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from the University of Arizona and is a CFA® charterholder. She holds FINRA Series 6, 7 and 63 licenses, and is registered as an Associated Person with the National Futures Association.
Speakers
MODERATOR
Carina Diamond
Carina Diamond is the Chief Executive Officer for GFP Private Wealth (formerly Gries Financial Partners) and the Chief Growth Officer for The 4100 Group Financial Services (4100FS). She is responsible for driving organic growth and supporting mergers and acquisitions across portfolio companies. Carina was formerly Chief Growth Officer for Dakota Wealth Management, which tripled in size during her tenure. In addition, she founded Springside Partners RIA and Stella Secunda Partners, a succession, fintech and organic growth consultancy. Carina ran the wealth division for the accounting firm SS&G (now BDO). She has been recognized by Forbes, RIA Intel, and Investment News for excellence in wealth management. She also launched Flourish-Women and Wealth, an educational series focused on women and money. She is a Trustee for The University of Akron Foundation, where she is a founding board member for the Women In Philanthropy committee and the Vice Chair of the College of Business Dean’s Advancement Council. Carina founded a leadership program for graduate student women and established a scholarship for women studying financial planning.
Anna Rathbun
Nicole Tanenbaum
Nicole Tanenbaum is partner and chief investment officer for Chequers Financial Management, a female-owned high net worth financial planning firm in San Francisco. Nicole oversees all aspects of investment management services offered by Chequers, where she drives the firm’s investment strategy, manager selection and asset allocation decisions. Prior to Chequers, Tanenbaum oversaw portfolio strategy and investments at Robertson Stephens, where she led the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to Robertson Stephens, Nicole advised ultra high-net worth clients at ICONIQ Capital, a global multi-family office for influential families, and managed portfolio analytics and investor relations for endowments, foundations, and institutional investors at Watershed Asset Management, a $2 billion event driven hedge fund. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management Economics and a master’s degree in Applied Economics and Finance, both from University of California, Santa Cruz. Nicole is frequently interviewed for national publications including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. She speaks regularly on portfolio strategy and the private markets.
Stephanie Link
Stephanie Link is the Chief Investment Strategist, Head of Investment Solutions and Equity Portfolio Manager at Hightower Advisors, a national wealth management firm that provides investment, financial, and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations, and family offices. As Chief Investment Strategist, Ms. Link runs multiple equity strategies within the Investment Solutions group and often works with Hightower’s advisory businesses, and their clients to help them navigate the economy and markets. The Investment Solutions team at Hightower offers a variety of solutions in equities, fixed income, and private markets. This division currently has $5.7B assets under management as of January 31, 2025.
Prior to joining Hightower, Ms. Link was the Senior Managing Director and Head of Global Equities research at Nuveen, where she co-managed the CREF Stock Variable Annuity Portfolio with $200 billion in assets, managed her own US Core portfolio with $3.7 billion in assets and oversaw thirty-three investment professionals who collectively managed $40 billion.
Before joining Nuveen, Ms. Link spent seven years at TheStreet as Chief Investment Officer and Co-Portfolio manager of Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust. Before that, she served for 10 years at Prudential Equity Group as Managing Director of Institutional Sales and Director of Research. She began her career at Dean Witter Reynolds in the Institutional Sales Department.
Ms. Link earned a Bachelor of Science in finance at Boston College. She currently serves as a member of KKR’s investment council, a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. She has also served as Chairperson for the Investment Advisory Council at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey for 15 years and has previously served on the Board of Trustees at The Pingry School.
As an investment professional with 33 years of experience managing money, Ms. Link’s insights are frequently sought after for industry events and by the media. She is currently a CNBC contributor and frequently appears on The Halftime Report, Squawk Box, The Closing Bell, and Power Lunch. She has garnered numerous industry accolades, including being featured on the covers of Crain’s New York Business as one of the Notable Women on Wall Street in 2022, as well as Kiplinger’s Where to Invest in 2021. Additionally, she received the Savvy Ladies award as Change Maker in 2023 and was also recognized as one of the Women to Watch by InvestmentNews in 2023.
Speakers
Kurt Miscinski
Kurt Miscinski is a Partner and the Chief Executive Officer of Cerity Partners, responsible for the strategic direction and management of the firm.
Prior to founding Cerity Partners, Kurt was a Managing Director and an Executive Committee Member of a Global Investment Bank’s Private Wealth Management division, responsible for managing the bank’s US wealth management offices, including the provision of the bank’s investment, credit, and wealth management services to individual, family, business, and nonprofit clientele.
Kurt is a Member of Young Presidents Organization, Vistage International, and the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. He earned his MBA from DePaul University and B.S. from the University of Illinois.
Rufus Peabody
Rufus Peabody is a professional sports bettor and co-founder of Unabated Sports, a platform empowering bettors with advanced tools and data-driven insights. For more than 16 years, Rufus has made a living applying proprietary, data-driven models to sports betting — earning him a reputation as one of the field’s most respected analytical minds.
He is the co-host of the popular podcast Bet the Process, which explores the intersection of sports betting, analytics, and markets. He also co-founded Massey-Peabody Analytics, whose NFL and college football ratings were published in The Wall Street Journal.
Rufus holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale University, where he wrote his senior thesis on psychological inefficiencies in performance evaluation in the Major League Baseball betting market.
He has been featured in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, ESPN, and The Ringer. He is a subject of the latest season of Michael Lewis’s podcast Against the Rules, and is profiled in Nate Silver’s book On the Edge.